Skepticism from a Godless Conservative

I’m Skeptical: PTSD From Twitter? I Have My Doubts

I’m just going to say it: I’m skeptical when someone claims PTSD via a social media network like Twitter.

I’ve written about this, last year, so those regular readers will know I too suffer from PTSD. This is not a subject I prefer to talk about. PTSD doesn’t affect my job performance, nor does it prevent me from leaving my house.

Most people I know afflicted don’t like to talk about it. Some are actually on medication. Others, like me, are not. What this really comes down to though is, in my opinion, if every time someone disagrees with you, and you claim “harassment”, that when you bring up that you have PTSD due to your harassment, what you do is denigrate those that actually have been diagnosed.

I’m not just talking about the military. There are people that have been through extreme spousal abuse that have been diagnosed. I know a woman that was almost at deaths door. When the police arrived they found her on the floor of her apartment, unconscious, and in really bad shape. The hospital actually placed her into an induced coma for two weeks. Yes, it took her, according to what she’s said, two years before she would leave her apartment. The good outcome? Her “husband” is doing 25 years in prison.

I’s taken me a few days to write this down because I’m positive I’ll receive a certain amount of hate responses; that I have no idea what I’m talking about or that, there’s at least one psychiatrist that will validate that a person may be diagnosed with PTSD from freaking Twitter.

Here’s what I’m going to do: Laugh. I guarantee you that we can sit five psychiatrists down and they’ll all have differing opinions.

Here’s what I don’t get though and you tell me if I’m wrong: When I was first diagnosed, several years ago, it was important that I not expose myself to those experiences that might “trigger” me. Now the person we’ve all been talking about has said she’s seen a psychiatrist. So why didn’t that doctor tell her the same thing? Think about it.

This is what makes me skeptical. No reputable doctor would ever tell a person that the event that regularly “triggers” them would come close to suggesting they continue in the way they had before. Really think about this before you respond to this post. Do you know ny doctor, if you had lung cancer, would tell you it’s okay to continue smoking?

No, it’s not apples and oranges if that’s what you’re thinking. It’s the same. Something that exacerbates your disease. Yes, PTSD is a disease. Not everyone has the same experience with PTSD. As with cancer. Some are far worse than others.

So here’s my advice, Ms. Hensley (notice how I did that?), those that refer to you in ugly, nasty terms, ignore them. Laugh. Do you really believe that any of these people have the balls to even walk up to your home and ring the doorbell? Nope. People that do that, in my experience, are the useless ones. They just want to spin you up; attempt to make you uncomfortable. Don’t let them. Ignore the stupid and focus on those positive things you accomplish everyday.

Don’t be afraid that some idiot will approach you on the street. They won’t. Cowards never do. They always send their “threats” anonymously. Those are not really threats; Just stupid people on the Internet that have nothing better to do with their time.

Be strong, Ms. Hensley, and don’t allow people that you don’t even know to affect your life.

But if you insist, then delete your Twitter account and move on with your life.